The Fight
by Yuna Yami Mouto
Summary: It is a widely known fact that the Keeper of the Code and his Heir, his only son, have been at odds for years so no one dares mention said son's name in Shipwreck Cove (not that they know it). But what is this strange tension in Jack Sparrow and how will it all affect the meeting of the Brethren Court?


**The Fight**

 **Summary: It is a widely known fact that the Keeper of the Code and his Heir, his only son, have been at odds for years so no one dares mention said son's name in Shipwreck Cove (not that they know it). Hut what is this strange tension in Jack Sparrow and how will it all affect the meeting of the Brethren Court?**

 **Note: There will be only slight mentions of pre-slash here (pre-Sparrington, if you squint really, really hard; like, microscopic levels and only if you want to) and some mentions of Willabeth (more because it's cannon and expected). In this one, Elizabeth became the Pirate Lord of South China Sea but James escaped with her from the Flying Dutchman and so isn't killed by Bootstrap. They caught up to the Black Pearl before entering Shipwreck Cove.**

 _"How was I bloody supposed to know that was going to happen!?" An agitated young man in his late teens asked, nearly tempted enough to pull his hair out in his frustration. "He was my friend! He insisted he hadn't known! He'd saved my life a dozen times in the past! How was I to know he was a traitor!?"_

 _"For the very same reason you insist he was your friend! You should have noticed it! Noticed that something was off!" A man over twice his age thundered at the teen, glaring at him with a mix of disappointment and disgust. "What kind of pirate goes around trusting others so blindly!? Has your gallivanting with mermaids addled your mind, boy!?"_

 _"Don't you dare bring them up in this! I am the only living human being who they would not tear apart and the only one they trust! Rescuing their queen was not a task they could have given another! It was more important than sitting on my ass behind a desk while bloody cutthroats complained about someone punching their daylights out when they could have just as easily returned the favor and been square!"_

 _"You_ ship _was commandeered by the blasted East India Trading Company in your absence! No worthy captain would be so flippant about her loss! And it is my_ job _and_ yours _might I add to_ sit on our asses _while they complain!" The elder pirate replied in a growl. The teen growled right back, like a savage beast, thudding his palms loudly against the sturdy table._

 _"Don't you_ dare _insinuate that I don't care for her loss! My very_ soul _cries out for her! And I had no choice! They dragged me to the depths and wouldn't let me go until I agreed to help them! By the time we found her Majesty, my ship was_ lost _! I came to you for help but all you did was tell me it was my own fault and that I was a lousy pirate! Then please, pray tell, if I am so lousy a pirate, why was it_ me _whose help you needed to organize the meeting of the Brethren Court? Why was it_ me _who figured out who the culprit was and not someone else?"_

 _"Why was it_ you _who freed the prisoners?!"_

 _"Because he was my friend!" The teenager thundered like a storm, face furious. The older pirate's stare was cold._

 _"You sure do have a history of good_ friends _, boy."_

 _The lad recoiled as if struck, pain flaring in his heart as he registered whom the other was implying before rage took him over again._

 _"Yes, all_ bloody pirates _! I bet I even know what you're thinking, even now. Here you are no doubt thinking 'Jackie's not good enough to be a pirate, why can't he be more like his cousin Valerie, or Grandmama, proper pirates they are matey!' Well_ excuse _me for not being a heartless murderer or a merciless beater! And excuse me for wanting to be something else! I never_ wanted _to be a bloody pirate! You_ know _that! Everybody in this godforsaken place does! So why are you surprised that I still want to have some semblance of normalcy in my life, finding a mate I can trust, a friend who I can always turn to? Why are you so bloody angry, anyway!? I escaped and sank two of their ships! You even have a new Caspian Sea Pirate Lord! There! Everyone's happy! It won't be too difficult to hunt the rest down and bring them to justice for breaking the Code!"_

 _"Only we wouldn't need to_ do _that if_ you _hadn't been an addled brained_ idiot _who set them free in the first place!" The furious elder pirate yelled loud enough for all the guards stationed in the Citadel to hear and wince in sympathy for the boy. "Gods! Why ever did I make you my Heir? It's just as though you're not of my own blood!"_

 _"Don't you_ dare _implicate anything against my mother!" 'Jackie' hissed in a deadly whisper, leaning over the table again, trembling with anger. The next words hurt worse than a whiplash._

 _"I should have never picked you out of that garbage din, with what you do to me, no matter your intelligence. I could have left you there and taken on Valerie as my apprentice and never had to worry about shit like this. I should have never brought you into the Cove." At the first silence that followed in over three hours of constant arguing, snappy, witty comebacks and yelled insults, the man looked up in weary surprise only to freeze in shock at the expression his companion was wearing. The youthful face suddenly seemed harrowed, the bright eyes haunted, sorrowful and empty, his features a visage of shock and betrayal, his body tense like a spring ready to snap. Worry filled the elder and he reached out a hand towards the younger, only for the lad to flinch away as though burned, shuffling away on unsteady legs father from the seated man and closer towards the door. "Jackie?"_

 _"Don't worry." The deadpan of his voice surprised them both, although 'Jackie' was more surprised by how steady it was seeing all the emotions currently raging on inside of him. "I'll leave and I'll never return. Sorry for being such a bother and a disappointment." He hurried out of the room before it managed to register in the elder's brain just what had been said. He broke out into a sprint at the almost strangled yell of his name, fighting back tears. Why should he care? Why hadn't it actually occurred to him before? Only he wasn't allowed to use their family name. It was obviously because he wasn't really a part of the family. They had apparently taken him as someone to dump the bloody Code on because he was the only one they could find capable of remembering the whole bloody thing!_

 _Well, no matter. He never felt like a part of the family - which he wasn't. Why hadn't he believed Valerie when she had told him herself? Why had he accused her of just wanting to be the Heir? Valerie was an amazing pirate. Why hadn't she been chosen? Who said you needed to know the entire Code if you could just bloody well open and_ read _the damn thing! - anyway. And he'd ran away and managed just fine on his own before. His fath-_ That man _had probably just come after him because of the words inked into his back as the Heir. He didn't really care about him. Not at all. If he had, he would have shown it!_

 _He shook his head and continued running, making it to his room. He quickly put the few belongings that he actually cared about and considered_ his _-_ he _got them; they were_ his _, earned by_ his _hand;_ his _and no one else's - wrote a note for the only person who had cared about him in this bloody family - he wondered if it was a coincidence they shared a name or if that was just made up, too - and one, more formal one for the Keeper of the Code before he found the first ship leaving Shipwreck Cove, offered his service to sail them out through the Crossing and to the first port they were to dock in and left the Cove for good._

00000

Jack Sparrow, Captain of his beloved Black Pearl, woke up to a single tear streaking down his cheek and scowled to himself. It was all bloody Barbossa's fault. No, scratch that, Barbossa was dead when this sorry mess started. It was all Elizabeth's fault. Had she not tied him to the mast of the Black Pearl for the Kraken to devour-

He shuddered and shook off the thought. It wasn't the lass' fault either, and Jack knew it. Hell, it wasn't even Norrington's or Will's. It was all Beckett's fault. Yes, Jack had learned that the best way he can continue living his life is to blame it all on Beckett. Not that the man _wasn't_ at fault. It was under his order Jack's beloved Wicked Wench had burned and sank and it was his fault Jack, loving his ship as he did, had struck a bargain with Jones for her to come back to him as the now named Black Pearl. And did you know it was also _Beckett's_ fault the Wicked Wench had been stolen while he was helping out mermaids? Had he had his beautiful ship, Jack probably wouldn't have ended up in that shitty situation with Christophe to begin with. For one, she would have sang to him in displeasure whenever he was around. She was a great judge of character, for a ship with a half-soul. Don't ask him how he can hear her, not even the seemingly all knowing Tia Dalma knows. All she can say is that he had a soul deep connection to his lady and it had only gotten stronger after Jones brought her back from the depths.

Jack shook those thoughts off and focused on Beckett and Barbossa. It was _their_ fault he was now sailing toward Shipwreck Island and, judging by the smell of the breeze, they were some five to ten hours away, depending on said breeze. If only Beckett hadn't started this whole hunt for Davy Jones' heart, maybe Jack would have found it in time to stop the beastie. If only that infuriating midget wouldn't have started terrorizing the sea with his new toy then the song wouldn't have to be sang and the Brethren Court would have no need to convene and Barbossa wouldn't have sounded so sane and rationale as he did when he insisted on going and releasing Calypso, of all insane things to do.

It has been well over fifteen years since Jack had set foot into Shipwreck and he would have gladly spent his life never setting a foot in there again, keeping to the promise he had made, to himself and to the Keeper. He had apologized to the man he had called uncle and promised never to forget him and he had kept to those two promises as strictly and religiously as he did to the Code. If he followed the Code, the Keeper won't have an excuse to drag him back or seek him out. He hated losing his Black Pearl in the mutiny, but it had at least thrown the Keeper's men completely off of his trail for a good few years. They can't sniff him out anymore, he had become too unpredictable. And without sightings of his famous black ship with black sails, he could disappear from their sight for months at a time. Knowing their modus operandi didn't help them any. Especially since he had thought it up in the first place.

But now his years long efforts were wasted because of a few people deciding he didn't know what he was doing. Add to that all the betrayals he's been going through ... This just felt like another one. He had thought Lady Fate was fond of him but she seemed intent on setting him up for the one thing he wanted to avoid the most.

Jack sighed and finally got out of bed, his hand absently brushing the black wood of the hull in both a greeting and comfort. The Black Pearl shuddered under his touch gently to return the gesture and that pulled a small smile on the pirate's face. He knew they would be nearing the Crossing soon enough and sighed again as he walked over to a bowl of fresh water, washing his face and trimming his mustache in the places that should be groomed. That done, he reapplied the kohl around his eyes and just ... looked at himself for a moment. Tanned skin, black eyes, nearly black dark brown hair in braids and dreadlocks, mustache and beard, he looked a lot like his uncle Ja- like the man he had though of as fondly as an uncle. He carefully didn't think about another man whom he resembled even more as he took off his shirt and picked up a sponge. If he was to be forced back into his childhood residence - it was unbearable to even _think_ of calling it his home - then he was not going to come back like a rugrat. He cleaned off most of the grime and sweat and reached for his shirt again, ignoring the writing on his back he glimpsed in the mirror and altogether not looking at the tattoo on his right bicep.

Once he was properly dressed, affects all in place their rightful place, he finally ventured onto the deck of his beloved ship and resisted the urge to reach for his gun as he heard two distinctive voices arguing up on the quarterdeck and he outright flinched at hearing the third, feminine one. Two of the owners of said voices had tried to kill him before and the last one had actually managed to do it. It was insult to injury that _they_ were the ones who insisted _he_ sail them to Shipwreck Cove. Jack was not fond of irony. Or karma. At all.

Captain Hector Barbossa, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, former Commodore now Admiral twice turned pirate James Norrington and Captain Elizabeth Swann, the newly named Pirate Lord of tge South China Sea, were all arguing in front of poor, mute Mr Cotton and his scared parrot, something about something that Jack couldn't care less about. Barbossa had been revived by Tia Dalma in order to help fetch Jack from the Locker. Norrington had followed Elizabeth from the Flying Dutchman when he learned what consequences his actions had, namely the numerous meaningless deaths - even _children_! - and Beckett's involvement in one Governor Weatherby Swann's murder at sea. And Elizabeth, bartered off by Barbossa for Sao Feng's compliance to join the Brethren Court at Shipwreck Cove, had been named Sao Feng's successor, given his Piece of Eight and the rule over the South China Sea, had led her crew in a desperate escape as they sailed towards the Cove - luckily, _someone_ on that ship knew the way but not well enough and they hit a coral reef within sight of the Black Pearl, who they then signaled for help. Jack hadn't been pleased with having to turn around and go into those unsafe waters but he knew them the best and so he very carefully, very reluctantly, steered them closer until longboats could be lowered and fetch the castaways.

He kind of regretted doing it now, but he knew he could be stuck in the Cove forever while waiting for the last remaining Pirate Lord to heed the call of the song. But this was suicidal. Three pirate lords on a single vessel? It was _asking_ to get blown out of the water! It would be the end of the Brethren Court with one single blow, three Pieces of Eight gone forever. He should have protested more, this entire journey. Then again ...

 _"If you brought me back just to sail us to Shipwreck Island, you might as well put me back in the Locker now, mates, because I ain't goin'."_

He wasn't sure if he could have protested more shockingly than that. Unfortunately, they had just taken it that the Locker had addled his brain too much and had given command over to Barbossa. It was practically _mutiny_! Jack was already contemplating whether he should just ... 'let it slip' in the Cove that the crew had mutinied and watch the show but he wasn't that cruel. _'Another trait that set me apart from ... them.'_ He thought to himself and ignored the pang that never left him no matter how many years passed. Instead, he focused on the argument that was going on, since Gibbs was getting involved and it wasn't about rum this time.

"The Capt'n be the only one who can get us in!" Gibbs was saying heatedly, gesticulating wildly, obviously greatly agitated.

"Th' capt'n _will_ be gettin' us in, Mr Gibbs. Or do ye 'ave complaints against me skills?" Barbossa challenged the older man, giving him a pointed glare.

"I have a few! The most obvious bein' that you 'ave no idea how ta do th' Crossing! Greater sailors than you 'ave fallen prey to this passage, Barbossa! Not everyone can make it!"

"So you want a drunkard to steer us through? You're more suicidal than I originally thought, what with your choice in friends, Mr Gibbs. Just let me do it. I'm probably the only one properly trained and taught how to pilot a ship." Norrington snorted, completely unimpressed.

"Trainin' won't be 'nough fer this passage, sir. Only those who've _done_ it b'fore can make it."

"Tai Huang said the passage was easy and that Sao Feng always did it. They are expecting of me to take the helm." Elizabeth argued, not trusting _any_ of them to sail them through, every one of them pirates who liked to indulge in drink and James just might get a tad bit more opportunistic and decide to sink the Pearl on purpose to get rid of Jack. And everyone else, by default.

"Every Pirate Lord worth his salt knows how to make the Crossing." Jack finally spoke up, cutting off any further arguments on the matter. He already knew who would win it. Gibbs lit up with relief at the sight of his Captain. He probably knew who would win the argument, too. "However, they are _trained_ by their predecessor to do it. That aside, the _only ones_ who know how to make the Crossing better than just any Pirate Lord are those raised in Shipwreck Cove with the Crossing as a part of every day life. So before you go deciding on who's going to take the helm from poor, tired Mr Cotton," said man also looked greatly relieved at the sight of his Captain. He had been getting sick of the argument. "All those born or raised in Shipwreck Cove raise their hands." As expected, only Jack brought up his hand and he gave the three arguing a bright grin. "And to make it official, all those taught by a previous Pirate Lord to make the Crossing raise their hands." One of Sao Feng's men, probably the pilot of the sunken Empress, uncertainly brought his hand up before putting it down. Jack's hand was once again the only in the air, everyone staring in disbelief at the shifty Barbossa. Jack just smiled. "You decide."

He left them to it, knowing who will be called to take the helm when the Crossing was to be made. He climbed on to the bowsprit and just rested there for a few hours, enjoying the sun and the breeze and the smell of the sea but he was startled out of his meditation like state when the former Navy man came to sit beside him. Jack eyed him suspiciously because Norrington was tense and pointedly looking away from him. When he did nothing, Sparrow did his best to return to his earlier meditation, almost jumping out of his skin when the younger man cleared his throat to get his attention just moments later.

"How do you ... relax like that?" Dear lord, even the man's voice was tense! Tight like a spring ready to snap. Like any other sailor's while they approached Shipwreck Island and the Devil's Throat. Ol' Gibbs must have been spreading stories.

Jack grinned and went into the finer details of meditation. They only went back on deck when Jack judged the island to be three hours away and that was already dangerous ground for an unknowing sailor. He took the helm easily and even more so steered them away from shallow rocks and high coral reefs. He never ordered for the sails to be wrapped up. They remained their current speed even as they approached the Crossing. Even _in_ the Devil's Throat, he didn't cut down on their speed until they were two thirds through, avoiding all the wrecked ships, sharp rocks and areas known for falling boulders from the cavern's ceiling. The Black Pearl was purring under his skilled hands as she glided elegantly through the passage and finally made it into the Cove itself. Jack ordered for the men to hoist the colors and his flag went up, signaling to the Watch that a Pirate Lord was coming. Jack winced at the thought of the news spreading just _whose_ flag had been spotted on his beloved ship but didn't let the others see his reaction. It wouldn't do to look weak in front of a crew that had so easily given command over to another captain.

He slid his lady easily into the spot reserved for him as the Caribbean Pirate Lord and he pointedly did not look at the ship they were docked by or the staring crew on her. Or the one on the other side of that one and her staring crew. He just got off his Pearl with a last caress to her railing, promising he won't take long and then led the way through the Town of Shipwreck to the Citadel where the meeting was to take place. He ignored how the Keeper's men were staring at him wide eyed even as they scrambled to make way for him, giving him that small fingers-to-the-forehead salute that people outside of the Cove thought of it as one of his more annoying gestures instead of a gesture of respect like it was. As he walked briskly through them all, they at least didn't get the time to say any greetings and that was how he liked it. They shouldn't be greeting him, anyway. He was nothing and no one of importance.

As was expected, seeing how much time has passed since the song had been sang, they were the last three Pirate Lords to arrive. Jack took out his cutlass and quickly stabbed the Caribbean on a big globe to mark his claim on those waters. He ignored everything else that was going on, face blank, eyes cold and unnaturally quiet. He was tense despite looking like he had not a care on the world and his usually animated hands were still. All present noted the change immediately but those that had come aboard the Pearl had seen the transformation happening as soon as Jack started steering them through the Devil's Throat. They didn't know what to think about that but it was unnerving to see this side of the man. Even so still and cold, his presence was felt and he was still larger than life, an invincible, untouchable and greatly underestimated force of nature, only his demeanor was cold and distant and sent a chill of fear down your spine.

Hector ignored it and went on with the meeting, doing a little interlude as the one who had summoned the meeting of the Brethren Court, not caring for Sparrow's moods. He had a goal, a mission he must fulfill if he wanted to stay among the living and not cursed. Barbossa asked of the Pirate Lords to present their Pieces of Eight, having pre-ordered Ragetti to gather them for they were needed for the ritual of releasing Calypso and ge had no doubt some complications will come along the way. The other seven Pirate Lords did so almost uncaringly, even Elizabeth, although she was a bit reluctant to part with the Piece Sao Feng gave her but she still did it in the end. Even Barbossa handed his over his, to be fair.

That was how the problem started. Sparrow had not given his Piece.

"Sparrow!" Barbossa all but demanded but the man just looked up at him with bored, unreadable black eyes and a grin that was sharper than any blade.

"According to the Code, page 17, section D, subsection 5d, paragraph 2, row 19, if the Brethren Court is convened, in order to be heard, each Pirate Lord must showcase their Piece of Eight as a symbol of their status and power. Meaning, the Piece of Eight must be _visible_ to all but may remain on the Pirate Lord's person. Collecting the Nine Pieces of Eight is not necessary and actually forbidden as it is quite dangerous if we happen to have a traitor amongst our midst. Meaning I'll be keeping my Piece of Eight as it is in plain sight for all to see. Savvy?" The sharp grin remained even as murmurs rose around the table, some outrageous that they had been fooled, others curious at what they heard and most just wondering if it really was written in the Code and how Sparrow knew if it was. Only the Keeper and his chosen Heir had access to the written Code and all that it says. Pirates mostly knew up to twenty rules of the Code, if that much at all, and they usually were more regarding to life on a ship, rules of marooning and parlay, who falls behind is left behind, take what you can give nothing back and how to summon the Brethren Court and about the Keeper's power over those who break the Code. Not even the Pirate Lords knew the full extent of it. It was a big book and only so many of them knew how to read.

"Ye made that up!" Barbossa accused and Jack looked highly offended.

"Did not."

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so and ye know it!"

"Did not, slander and calumny." Jack sniffed like a disgusted high end lady, knowing it would only rile the older man up. A very small number of people in the room _knew_ Jack actually knew what he was talking about, but the Pirate Lords who knew didn't care to speak up while the rest had no right to speak. "If you don't believe me, we can always call on the Keeper but I'd rather just wrap this up and be on my way. I never wanted to come here in the first place and would actually rather rot in the belly of Jones' terrible beasie - alive or dead, I don't care, for either if us - than be here. So if that was all I will give my negative vote to whatever you lot propose now and be on my way."

He pushed past his gaping crew, ignoring Barbossa's demands that he get back there, intent on leaving but stopped when a familiar gun shot rang through the air and he stiffened. He did not want to confront the owner of said gun, as he had broken a clear promise but he knew, even as he had protested, that he must answer the call, if only just to show up for appearances. But he dared not continue his exit with _this person_ pissed enough to take out a gun and shoot.

"Well, well, well." Jack almost sagged with relief at the sound of the rough, familiar _female_ voice, although he was loath to deal with _her_ as well. Perhaps even more so. "The prodigious son of a cur comes crawling back after all these years and yet still dares act so arrogantly in front of me." The dislike was clear in the woman's voice as she made her way towards Sparrow, gun trained on his head. "You haven't changed at all, Jack."

"Valerie," he greeted without bothering to turn around. He had no love lost towards the woman who he had at one point thought was his older cousin. If anyone was a prodigy, it was her, the marvelous pirate the Keeper always wanted to have as his own progeny and not the little orphan he had apparently plucked out of the gutter. Jack decidedly didn't think about that and continued in a cold, calm, even voice that spoke of authority without much effort on his part. "According to the Code, page 45, section G, subsection 11g, paragraph 7, row 4, he who points a loaded or sharpened weapon at a Pirate Lord within the Cove, let alone the Citadel, will be keelhauled to death so I suggest you lower your weapon."

"According to the Code, page 12, section H, subsection 6h, paragraph 10, row 5, all are to respect and listen to the Keeper of the Code and his Heir when ordered to do something." Jack stiffened further, the said text flashing before his mind's eye as though he were reading it right now instead of having memorized it before he hit double digits, his mind reeling at the implications. A bitter taste filled his mouth. Had he really expected anything else, though? Valerie was a far better candidate to be Heir, he always thought that. He had never understood the Keeper's decision when choosing him instead of the young girl five years his elder. "So you can be a good lad and hand over your Piece of Eight and make no more trouble or you can walk out of here and never return. What's it going to be, Jack?"

"Lower your weapon," Jack was almost tempted to look over his shoulder at the growl that escaped the former Commodore's throat and he almost winced as he realized what the Navy man must have done. The fool no doubt held Valerie at sword point. While he was touched by the sudden show of loyalty - whether it was real or not didn't really strike Jack as important at the moment - Norrington was playing with a type of politics he had not a clue about.

"According to the Code, page 45, section G, subsection 11g, paragraph 12, row 1, no one shall point a weapon at either the Keeper or his Heir if they wish to not be shot to death." Sparrow said with a sigh. "Let her go, James. She ain't worth it your life."

After a moment of hesitation, the man did as he was told - there's a surprise - but Valerie still kept her gun cocked at Jack's head. "What's it gonna be, Jack?" She asked again, probably thinking he would be intimidated by her show of power or cowed by her new title. A title enforced with the gun she held that belonged to the Keeper, last time Jack had seen it. It matched the pistol at his waist like a twin.

"Well, I guess I'll not be seein' ya again. 'Lizzy, I trust ye'll find yer way. James, be a good little pirate an' don't go stealin' others' thump-thumps. Mr Gibbs, rally all who wish ta sail out of this godforsaken hole in a rock. We're leavin'." He said nonchalantly and started walking towards the doors again, once more ignoring the flabbergasted expressions with which everyone was staring after him but Valerie recovered before he could reach the door.

"Stop him!" She ordered and the guards at the door stepped in front of the exit. For all that the door was open for him to leave, there now stood two big men in his way that he had no chance of removing on his own. Valerie stormed closer to him, the heels of her boots stomping angrily against the floor of the council room. "You are not above the Keeper's Heir, Jack. You are to follow my orders!"

"I am. Not _my_ fault you stated it as a choice. I chose." Jack still hadn't turned to so much as look at her. He needed to get out of here as quickly as he could. He had no doubt the Keeper had heard about his being here by now and the man will probably want to talk. Jack didn't. There was nothing more to be said between them. Not since he was nineteen and leaving the Cove for good. "Step aside, men."

"No!" Valerie ordered, glaring at the indecisive men. "You are to obey the Keeper's Heir!" To the surprise of everyone, that actually made the guards step to the side, clearing the path for Jack with no hesitation at all, going as far as to give him a shallow bow. "What are you doing!?"

"We wish you a safe journey, young master Jack." The one on the left said, head still bowed. Jack was so surprised by that alone that he yelped when Valerie grabbed hold of his right shoulder and whirled him around, pushing the twin of his own pistol under his chin painfully.

"You will _not_ question my authority here, brat. Hand over your Piece of Eight or die." She pressed the barrel of the pistol against the underside of Sparrow's chin harder, but his face and eyes had gone blank again.

"Go ahead. Shoot. You'll save me the torture of the Locker and the trouble of having to run." When he saw her incredulous expression, he couldn't help but smirk. "I'm not afraid of you, Valerie. You're not even at the bottom of my list of scary things. You're just making a fool of yourself. Be happy that you got to be the Keeper's Heir instead of this orphan from the garbage din and just let me be. I won't be in your way anymore. I have no plans of ever returning here."

"You are a Pirate Lord and you will stay here until I say so." She hissed in his face. "Or you will _die_."

"Been there, done that, was really boring." He dismissed her and she gave a howl of rage, pulling back the safety of her gun and finger reaching to pull the trigger-

Several people cried out when a gun shot resonated throughout the room, all thinking that Sparrow's brains were blown apart. Elizabeth even cried out his name desperately, lunging towards the two arguing pirates but was held back by her new crew, who feared what the Heir would do to them. They didn't stop the lunging ex Admiral and Barbossa was ready to start yelling at the fool for killing the only person who knew what the final Piece of Eight was when a female scream pierced the air and a bleeding Valerie staggered away from the uninjured Jack. The bloody woman and the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean were instantly surrounded by the Keeper's men, keeping Jack away from her and Valerie at gun and sword point. Stopped in the middle of his lung, Norrington instead went to check over Jack as Elizabeth broke free of Tai Huang's grip and threw herself in her friend's arms, having thought they had lost him again.

The room was deadly silent all of a sudden until Valerie recovered from the shock of the pain and glared up at the men, holding her injured shoulder. Her left arm, the one with which she had been holding the pistol, was useless, said weapon on the ground at her feet. "Who dared shoot at the Keeper's Heir?" She asked in a dangerous voice but paled as an even more dangerous one replied.

" _I_ did," growled none other than the Keeper of the Code, Captain Edward Teague, Pirate Lord of Madagascar although he was no longer a member of the Brethren Court. Between James and Elizabeth, Jack couldn't have frozen more and he looked pale as a sheet, garnering himself more fussing from the new Pirate Lord of Singapore. Jack didn't dare look up at the elderly pirate in his red coat and brown leather hat with a single feather, even as the furious man marched across the room, around the table, pirates scrambling out of his way, eyes as black as his glaring with hateful fire at Valerie.

"U-uncle! I can expla-"

"How _dare_ you come prancing in here, claiming to be my Heir?!" Snarled Teague, pointing his gun when the men circling her made room for him. Wedged between the two guards from the door to his sides, Elizabeth at his front and a strangely concerned James at his back, Jack could not use this chance to escape despite it being the most opportune moment. "How _dare_ you try to kill him!?"

Every jaw that did not belong to Joshamee Gibbs, Mistress Ching, Jacord or the Keeper's men dropped and Jack winced when they all turned to look at him. It is a widely known fact that the Keeper of the Code and his Heir, his only son, have been at odds for years so no one dares mention said son's name in Shipwreck Cove (not that they know it). Well, now they _do_ and they were starting to make the connection, from their style of dress, to their hair and their eyes to the stories of their strange mannerisms.

" _You're_ the Keeper's Heir?!" Elizabeth all but squeaked out and Teague whirled around, eyes immediately focusing in on his son, who refused to look at him.

"I'm not." Jack said in a tight voice, leaning back against Norrington when Teague forgot all about his niece, leaving her to his men in favor of the son he had not seen in twenty years.

"Oh, yes you are, Jack Edward Teague," growled the Keeper, reaching out for the younger but Jack wrenched away from the four people surrounding him, keeping out of Teague's reach with a snarl. Teague momentarily froze, hurt flashing through his eyes, a pain so immense it seized his heart, stopping it for a few beats before he shook it off and reached for his son again.

"My _name_ is Captain Jack Sparrow, _sir_. You must have confused me with someone else."

"Jackie-" the old pirate began but another voice stopped him.

"Eddy, that is not how you agreed to take this conversation." Johnathon 'Jack' Teague, the Keeper's younger brother, admonished as he sauntered over to the quarrellings father and son. He frowned at his brother before beaming at his nephew, who relaxed slightly at the sight of him. "Jackie-boy! Look how much you've grown! Come give your uncle Jack a hug!"

Sparrow almost went but became as stiff as a board again, face going cold. "You're not my uncle. I'm not a Teague and I am _not_ your Heir." He pointed at the Keeper, voice flat but turning into a growl at that last one. The words 'I'm not your son' were not said but were heavily implied and Teague flinched as though struck. "You've made that clear."

The older Jack huffed. "I saw your birth on the Misty Lady during that typhoon, Jackie-boy, and I heard my idiot brother and your Mum going at it like bunnies. Believe me, you're my nephew. The family resemblance is too uncanny for even _you_ to explain as something else."

The pirates were quiet, watching the drama, completely forgetting that there was an enemy coming their way and that someone, probably Will, was leading them straight here. It wasn't every day you saw something like this. And the resemblance _was_ a little freaky when all three men stood together like this. Jack only had slightly softer features, probably from his mother, smooth by youth.

"I've heard from several different sources that I've been picked up from the gutter, two directly saying so and many others saying they at one point saw the Keeper returning with some muddy, dirty, filthy child that they had never seen before."

"Who said that!?" Thundered Teague, enraged. A few people flinched more noticeably than the rest. "Name them!"

"You, for one!" Jack yelled right back. "What does it matter, anyway!? You got what you wanted! You got the Heir you wanted! Why are you making a fuss now, twenty years later! I'm out of your hair and not sullying the family name! All's well without Jack, isn't that right!?"

"Damn it, boy! I never wanted to distance myself from my only son!" Jack yelped as he was grabbed again, freezing when he was pulled against a strong chest, arms desperately holding onto him. Years of secrecy regarding his true identity and heritage, gone in the span of a few minutes. It would seem almost all of his twenty-years-long efforts were to go down the drain on this fine day. "I never wanted you to leave! I never wanted anyone else as my heir! I never wanted _you_ to change or be in any way different from how you were! You just, urgh! You frustrate and scare me to hell! I never know when I'm going to lose you! I've spent _moths_ searching for you when word got out that mermaids dragged you off! I searched for almost a _year_ when those bastardly son's of bitches kidnapped you! I was tired and emotionally worn and I had thought I had finally lost you for good." The last was strangled and notably quieter. Jack just stared wide eyed over his fath- the Keeper's shoulder at the kind eyes of his uncl- the Keeper's brother in astonishment. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Jackie."

"Wha-"

"I'm sorry." Sparrow didn't know what to make of all of this. He had left, thinking that not only was he not family with his supposed father but that he was not wanted, either. For years, Valerie had been insinuating that he was not his father's son and for years, he had done his best not to let doubt take root. He'd been successful for many years but he never forgot what she told him. And those roots more than took hold when his own maybe father had said he was not his son. Not in so many words but he had implied it and Jack still wasn't sure whether he should trust this man. He'd been badly hurt. Now he didn't know what to think as it all came into light. Was this man really his father or was he this man's convenient little intelligent puppet who will take up the burden of the Code from him? He _wanted_ to believe him but ... Once burned, twice shy and all.

"How do I trust you?" He physically felt Teague flinch at his words but he didn't budge. Not on this. He wanted proof.

Teague leaned away a little to look at his son. Father and son were a spitting image of each other and Teague drank in the sight of his son like a thirsty man his first glimpse of fresh water. "I know I hurt you, idiotic of me. I have no excuses. But never, ever again doubt that you are mine." He took the younger pirate's wrist and brought up his hand, pointing to the golden ring with a dark red ruby on it. It had been Teague's ring, once, a powerful magic relic that completely submitted one's will to the wielder of the ring. "I gave you this when you were twelve. You ran away from home and were captured by Admiral Lawrence Norrington." The other Norrington present made a choking noise while Elizabeth's eyes boggled. "I fought his fleet to get you back. I wouldn't do that for some rugrat urchin from the streets."

He let go of his son's wrist and instead tugged at his coat. Jack let him take it off, knowing what Teague wanted to reach. He even helped with the shirt so that it hung around his waist, showing his upper body to all present and the inked images there, including those twenty rules all pirates know from the Code. He placed his hand on the circle inked on Jack's right bicep, tracing a hidden symbol under all the decorative lines Jack had added so no one would see clearly the original but had never actually touched the original design. The two crossed cutlasses that represented the Keeper and his family, that all his men wore on some piece of their clothing, that Jack had willingly tattooed on his skin as a small boy. It was done so expertly that, even as he grew and his skin was exposed to the sun, the ink never faded and seemed to stretch to accommodate Jack's growth.

"If you were not my son, you would not have this. If you were not my Heir," the hand wandered over Jack's shoulder to tap his back once before retreating his touch altogether. "That would not be there. Smart you may be, boy, but Bartholomew and Morgan had made themselves clear: one family is to continue up-keeping the Code for as long as it exists. If you still doubt you are of Teague blood, I can order them to bring over the Code. It's been enchanted that only a Teague can read the whole thing."

"I never knew that," Jack breathed and went willingly when Teague drew him in again, breathing in _his father's_ scent. Rum, sea, salt, sweat, musk, tobacco, old paper and that distinctive smell that perminated the Cove. Home. It smelled of home. For Jack did not really consider Shipwreck Cove home as he had the mere presence of his father. Like the Black Pearl was his home the second he first saw her when she was still the Wicked Wench and he was just a fifteen year old lad.

"I'm sorry," was all the older pirate said before letting his son go. Jack cocked his head to the side like a curious bird, though, puzzled.

"But what about those stories I've heard? The whole mud, dirt thing?"

The watching pirates held their breath when Captain Teague shuffled uneasily. "I may have been grieving your mother and accidentally lost you in one pub in London and Norrington found you and there was a great big battle and I had to dump you outside into the garbage din but you crawled out into the mud - it was a rainy day the day before - and I had to carry you around like that. Whoever told you that story was probably new and only later learned about your mother's threats to castrate me."

"Oh, she threatened to do more than that." Uncle Jack - _uncle!_ His _uncle_! - said with a teasing grin. "She said she was going to cut it off completely and show it d-" Edward punched his younger brother's lights out before he could reveal any more embarrassing details or scar Jack further with horror stories about his beautiful, jungle beauty, pirate of a mother.

"I'll take your word for it," said man said with a pitying glance at his uncle. "Can we continue this little meeting before Beckett and Jones show up and we can't even go out to meet them for a fight like Elizabeth is suggesting?"

"Not until you tell me the names of all those who told you that story." The Keeper said as he handed his son back his clothing so he can redress himself.

"But! There's the fight! The big fight we should be discussing and Barbossa's stupid plan we should be shooting down and all that important stuff!" Jack protested as his Da started dragging him towards the back room and the hallways that led all throughout the Citadel.

"You know very well that fighting Beckett's armada would be a declaration of war and for that they need to vote for a Pirate King. It's a mute point."

"But every pirate always only votes for himself!"

"That's why it's a mute point. Now, I need you to give me names so I can deal with this properly. And we need to discuss the matter of Valerie's punishment. She threatened to kill both a Pirate Lord and my Heir."

"She threatened only me!"

"My point exactly. Stop resisting, Jackie!"

"Da, let me go! I'm not a kid anymore! I'm a Pirate Lord! I'm needed here!"

"You're first and foremost the Keeper's Heir. Your friends can fill you in later."

The last thing the gawking Brethren Court heard of Jack Sparrow was a yell of "I vote for Elizabeth Swann!" They didn't see him until they went to war.

 **THE END**


End file.
